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John "Reaper" McCallan
John "Reaper" McCallan was born to Johnathan McCallan and Ashley Vectus McCallan in 1116 A.D, During childbirth Ashley was forced to preform a c-section to save John's life, which would later complicate things with Amy's birth and be the cause of her death. Johnathan was of Gilnean nobility while Ashley was of Stromic nobility. She ran away with Johnathan before the wall was shut closed to all outsiders. He has three siblings, Jackson McCallan, Amy McCallan and Louise McCallan. He was once engaged to be married but in his worgen rage he killed his fiancee, his best friend and father. Personality Formerly, John was a hot-head and had no regard for lives of his enemies or those lesser than him, he had little respect for those above him, only impressing them with his skill and not his leadership, he kept his friends at arms length and had no goal to take over as the head of his families house. It was just after the First Range Rebellion when Amarinde died, he contemplated and looked back at his life and swore that he would become a better man for Bellum, his friends and allies and for his house. John is now more than often calm and cool under pressure, always the one to pick the necessary decision despite the price that must be payed, he puts family before anything and keeps to his word. He is fiercely loyal to his allies and relentless to his enemies. Childhood John had a rough time believing that he was worthy of being called "brother" or "son" in his family, he holds the death of his mother on his shoulders, if he had died that day, the other three siblings of his and their lonely father would've been able to keep their gorgeous mother. He is the second youngest of the four McCallans, Jackson being the oldest and most skilled horse rider of the bunch, Louse the second oldest and Amy being the youngest. In his childhood he was teased and bullied for not being a great rider like his father who was a great knight and lord of the town they grew up in, even his siblings were better than him, save for Amy. This got him into a lot of trouble as he would get into a lot of fights with other kids who insulted him. His brother then started paying attention to his lack of being a natural horse-rider and warrior, he took him to the town's ranch and told him to pick a horse, there was one horse which stood out, he wasn't the fastest horse but he was the strongest. John chose that horse so they could both train equally. He begun riding and training with his older brother, his oldest sister joining the military and becoming renowned cavalry rider and eventually Knight of Gilneas. By the time he was fourteen he was trained by his brother in the arts of Gilnean and Stromic martial and sword arts, John slowly became a great warrior and a great rider of his home-town, joining the military at fifteen. Military Career By the age of fifteen he joined the military to bring honor to the House of McCallan. Two years into service and he was made into a sergeant and given his own squad. While on patrol his squad was ambushed by rebels in the Northern Headlands, the ambush was so well organised that they killed off his troops quickly and were about to move onto him, in the face of real combat, John stood true and charged the lines with Lan'fear slaying the nearest rebels, he was routed quickly and lost his weapon on the street, he ran to a nearby farm to which he yelled to the family to run and get assistance, Lan'fear and him stood their ground until the rebels charged across the field, he had no weapon but he spotted a old farmers scythe, which he took up and rode against the enemy, before they could even swing their swords, John swung Lan'fear to the left and brought the scythe across their necks, decapitating them all in one foul swipe. A legion of troops came to investigate and found John beside Lan'fear, bathed in the blood of his enemies, still quite shocked at his feat, for his heroism and courage he was promoted to Captain and earned the title "Reaper of Gilneas". Gilneas During his years in Gilneas, John used to play around with his love life and court many woman, often each would find out about one another and call him out on his cheating habits. Many were silenced so that the heir to the McCallan family wouldn't be known for such acts. His father and brother who were disgusted by his actions, organised a marriage pact with one of the ancient houses in the Grip to secure more farmland. John initially disapproved but after courting with the woman known as Sarah McMutrie, he slowly begun to admire the lady, and even found a friendship with Tristan McMutrie. When the Worgen Outbreak begun, the military was summoned to prevent the outbreak within the city, but John's father ordered him to stay and prepare the defense of the Grip should the worgen travel south. John disobeyed, believing that his country is more important than his family. He and a few loyal men, including his older brother went out to the city. Whilst in the city their men were directed alongside the king to help secure the prison. John was bitten and taken away personally by Jackson. In his inevitable worgen rage he injured Jackson but did not infect him, he ran to the Grip and begun to run amok in the city of Karth alongside a pack that followed him. He entered the McCallan Mansion and killed his father, killing Sarah and Tristan who were there to stay safe. The royals soon swept across the Grip and secured or killed most of the Worgen. When next John woke up he was a part of the ones Krennan Aranas cured temporarily. He was quick to re-unite with Jackson who told him despite his actions as a worgen, the people in the Grip were about to go up in arms and riot without a leader. On their journey home, the world started to heave and shake. The Cataclysm arrived and they rode hard, only to watch the entire southern portion of Gilneas be destroyed, as they mourned the loss of their home, they were drafted to help fight the Orcish invasion of the Headlands and secure Keel Harbor before travelling with the refugees to Darnassus. The Blades of Greymane and Berenal Grayblade Weeks later after the tragedy of Gilneas, Reaper entered a dark place, believing the world to be against him, he had no where to place his anger and hatred, down in the ditches and stealing money from the rich to get by, he happened across a rich and well armed man, he did a simple run by, but was headed off by the man. Reaper was handed to the Stormwind Guard and beaten by the morally deficient guards, surprise to his eyes when his first visitor in jail was the very man he tried to steal from. Berenal Grayblade the High Commander of a military order of Gilneas offered him a job inside the order, Reaper was curious as to why he was offered a job, the high commander said he knew of his heritage and did not want him to rot in prison. Reaper joined the order and met many individuals that became key in his life, the Paladin Cedrec Delcarn and the soldier Evan Riley. After serving for about a year in the order, he made a great deal of friends, including the High Commander who never gave up on Reaper and always believed he could change his views on life. Acting Leadership When there was a massive walkout that left a gap in the Blades, Reaper rose up to the occasion, presenting a quality he thought he could never have, leadership. Reaper was never alone though, as acting leader of the infantry, he was always watched over by Berenal, those who doubted him were embarrassed by his abilities and keen eye for combat strategies, he received help from Cedrec Delcarn and Tristan Dragonsblade as his second-in-commands. The Blades recovered, and a lot of new faces were now a part of the order, Reaper stepped down from the infantry leadership quietly as the order began to become one once more, no one really remembered Reaper's actions as the whole event was slowly forgotten. The Kun-Lai Moutains The Bulwark moved into the Kun-lai mountains to do battle with the Horde, in the mountain pass, Reaper lead a small group of soldiers into the tombs on orders. The tombs was a trap as High Warlord Skullcrusha and his Kor'kron Legion were waiting for them, Reaper fought with everything he had and more, his group was wiped out and only he remained, a pile of Kor'kron dead next to him. At that time Skullcrusha stepped forward to do battle with Reaper, They fought and scraped for hours until several of Skullcrusha's warlocks chained Reaper down and knocked him out. Reaper was able to send out one last transmission before being taken away for several months. The Kor'Kron Legion Reaper was captured by the Kor'kron Legion, he was immediately shipped to Orgrimmar and stood "trial" in front of Garrosh Hellscream and High Warlord Skullcrusha, They deemed that with the veterans of today, new torture methods needed to be found and tested with, these methods they would test on Reaper in his time with the Kor'kron. They used the Sha and many mental tortures to try and break him. He held out for a long time but soon enough gave into the tortures, losing his mind and eventually being forced to fight in the Blood Arena. Once they Alliance began it's assault on Ogrimmar, he was set free and put into a recovery camp. He was soon requested to be released by the High Commander. Return to the Blades of Greymane Returning at Hallows End, during the burning of the Wickerman, Reaper was dragged by Berenal around the fest. After the pair re-acquainted themselves with each other and Berenal giving Reaper a rank and status back in the Blades. He was sent immediately to Dalaran for medical check-up. His bones were broken in various places and his knee-cap was shattered, but through the valiant efforts of Lilurah Lockewood, Reaper was able to push through the surgery and was battle-ready within the week. John McCallan, Grey Knight and Horse-Lord Reaper was now pushed back into a leadership role, introduced to Adrian Gregor, Head of House Gregor by Berenal, he was put to work by Berenal to officially announce the revival of House McCallan and their vassalage to House Gregor. He quickly began construction of McCallan Ranch and built a healthy friendship with Adrian. John was able to supply the Ashen Coast with many fine steeds that roamed in the Range, just like his father did before him, but in the Grip. John began to reap the rewards of reviving and putting effort into his new leadership role in House McCallan, many hedge-knights and warriors from all over Gilneas heard of the McCallan ferocity and ability in combat and wanted to serve under him. Quickly he was able to put these workers and warriors to work, finding time to provide personal protection to his Lord and friend, Adrian and forming the early order of the Equine Guard. First Range Rebellion Reaper lost his wife Amarinde in the Battle for McCallan Ranch against the Gregor traitors supposedly lead by Oliver Gregor in The First Range Rebellion, he mourned the loss of Amarinde, but knew this was not the way she would've wanted him to go. He swore by her grave site that he would become a better person, one that Bellum could look up to, a person that others could respect and admire, a person that would bring honor to the name of McCallan. Pain and War There were many more conflicts in the Ashen Coast since that time, all to the point where John couldn't bare to watch the in-fighting between the nobles and his friend, the Duke. He made a hard decision. He couldn't help the Duchy of the Ashen Coast so when he heard that Lady Maribell Cobalstant, another close friend of his was seceding and she wanted him to join her, he agreed, for the safety of his people and an end to unnecessary conflict. John still helps the Ashen Coast if he can, but he has dedicated his attentions to helping Maribell. Relationships Berenal Grayblade Berenal Grayblade, Duke of the Ashen Coast and High Commander of the Blades of Greymane acted as a tutor and role model for Reaper in his early career with the Blades. They soon began a healthy friendship, Berenal always believing Reaper was not this man who cared for nothing and believed the world owed him one. They continue to maintain a strong relationship, Berenal trusting Reaper with a signed letter in case of his unfortunate demise. Cedrec Delcarn Ever since starting off in the Blades, the two have always dreamed of opening a blacksmith business. Cedrec was the first one Reaper called upon to help him fill the role of acting leader of the infantry. The two formed a comradeship and understand each other perfectly, out of combat and in combat. They continue to maintain a camaraderie, albeit Cedrec being extremely busy as Highlord of the Onyx Knights and Reaper repairing the Range from Oliver's Rebellion. Adrian Gregor The relationship Reaper has built with Adrian is not one of long-term friendship, but from the necessary loyalty that was expected from Reaper as a leader of a house of the Range. Slowly Reaper began to respect Adrian and they both begun to understand each other which then built to a strong friendship. Due to recent events, John has begun to loss faith in Adrian's capabilities as the Leader in the range, blaming most of it on his wife, viewing her as "Incompetent" and "Venom-tongued". Because of John's initiative and Mari's interference, He was imprisoned and sentenced to life, save not for the last minute change in Adrian's mind to instead sentence John to help Ardeiria. He has been actively blamed for many failings in Adrian's and Mari's marriage, which has only furthered his disgust in the two and made John's general faith in his lord, questionable. Lately John has been willing to repair the friendship and continue his role to stand beside Adrian, which has been returned as they work together for the betterment of the Range. Fleur DeWitt Fleur DeWitt has made a heavy impact on John's life, at first they were bloodthirsty rivals, now she is his fiance. They first met during the Second Range Rebellion in which they constantly berated and verbally fought, at one point, John gave her a nickname which she has stuck with to this day, "The Ice Queen.". When a break down in authority occurred and John ran to the defense of Adrian, taking on several members of the Blades by himself, Fleur was the only one to truly halt him, after-which John actively sought the death of Fleur, challenging her to a Blood Duel, an ancient tradition of Clan Callan where the first to spill blood is condemned to death. During the battle they danced the dance of war and fought for hours, to the point of John beginning to admire her tenacity and ferocity in battle. Although John overpowered her and won the bout, he proposed an end to the rivalry, starting one of the most dangerous partnerships in the Ashen Coast. On the battlefield they were unstoppable as they watched each others backs, their ferocity matched only by the body count they accumulated together. In the weeks before the war, John was given an order by Adrian to defend the resources within Darkhaven. Due to a lack of communication and the need to confirm his suspicions, he instead took control of the town and made sure there were no traitors while intently protecting the storehouses. For his initiative he was arrested and condemned to death, branded a traitor to the people of the Range. Having lost faith in his lord and his region, Fleur DeWitt constantly visited him, comforting him within the confines of prison. At one point they proclaimed their love for one another, Fleur even admitting she never expected to fall in love. Fleur told John to make it proper, and that when he was ready, she wanted him to propose to her. The tragedies of within Ardeiria would forever echo throughout John's life, he lost the man who raised him, and his sister was used as a puppet for so long. Fleur stood beside him as his co-commander and comforted him more than anyone did during those dark days. After John was named Lord of Blacksand, he was asked by Fleur to visit Karnsburg for the weekend. He finished his duties and set off for Karnsburg. Once there he surprised Fleur with a marriage proposal, he took her to her room and pointed to a ship in the dock, the "Lions Fury." and told her he had bought it for her, once she was struck in awe, he knelt down and proposed to her. She said yes and they begun to plan their wedding day. Months after their marriage and their triplets having been born, the two were surrounded with work and parenting from across the Ashen Coast was difficult. The love begun to get strained as Fleur told Reaper that she "Loved that he was the father to her kids." and that the love was no longer there. Reaper agreed to part ways, divorcing her but also telling her that he is forever grateful for being "the mother to my kids." Melissa Kolreen John's love life. Melissa was, like his previous wife, a rival in combat and which grew heated till it eventually blossomed a passionate night. Each of them were great friends at that point but denied there was any feelings, things would be too complicated if they were together, especially since John had just divorced at that point. John however couldn't stop thinking about her and they talked about what happened, agreeing there was something there for each of them, but acting on it in a time of war was inappropriate. Melissa trusted John enough to even protect her children in his lands when the riots were going on, inadvertently allowing the kids to get to know and adore their future father in law. John loved her kids and her, and couldn't deny it no longer, he told her his true feelings and that he didn't want to lose her to anyone else. They fell in love and started to see each other from that point, eventually marrying quietly before the Invasion of the Grip. Ever since the secession, Melissa's House had followed and joined House McCallan.